I hate lipstick. I hate the way it wears off about two minutes after you put it on, I hate how it leaves stains on your coffee cup or your wine glass, and I really hate how my hair always ends up sticking to my lips on a windy day.

I had pretty much resigned myself to a life without lip color–I’ll play up my eyes, I thought–and figured I’d just never be as glamorous as those gals with a deep slick of ruby red on their lips.

But then, like a blessing from heaven, beauty companies everywhere introduced me to my saving grace: the lip stain. Neither lipstick or lip gloss, the stain does as promised–it actually stains your lips, so you get a really deep color that says “oh yes, I just wake up looking like this.”

The color sinks into your lips and doesn’t rub off, plus it rarely needs re-applying. Sound too good to be true? It gets even better–most lip stains can double as cheek color as well, for a really natural flush that stays put.

Here are some of my favorite stains (they can be pretty pricey, but since they do double duty and one application lasts all day, it’s totally worth the extra cash):

The Balm: Stainiac

Benefit: Benetint

Vincent Longo: Lip & Cheek Stain